If We Don't Have Forever
by FairytalesOfForever
Summary: "She had what seemed like forever to explore, to enjoy being alive, and yet she had chosen him. It was made worse with the war; they both knew of the risk. Forever was not theirs to claim." RemusxTonks. In the early hours of dawn after a full moon, the world has given them one precious moment. The time they are promised is fading into the unknown, but a moment can last forever.


**Written for The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Round 9**

**Reserve for Holyhead Harpies' Chaser 2**

**Prompt: Write a story based on the song "Who Wants To Live Forever" by Queen, including a lyric from the song as a dialogue line. **

**Word Count: 1,157**

Silence.

It was a rarity, one that would normally be unnerving. The air would've seemed empty without the inevitable crash of her swearing a blue streak as something else broke. In these early, unsure first hours of sunlight, however, she was the one doing the mending.

"Dora…"

"Don't. I told you I wanted this. Now, hold still."

Remus winced as the potion soaked another gash. Soon it would be another scar, another addition to the years of pain and torment that were carved into his skin. Still, in a way, this memory, too, would be chiseled into him with a comforting permanence.

She dabbed at a longer cut across his chest, her nose crinkled up in concentration. He noticed that she'd left it in his favorite, adorably button-like form.

"Merlin," she muttered. "I really should've been harder on you." She looked into his tired, battered face and cupped it with one hand. "Who knows how many months you've been dealing with this yourself, just because you wouldn't…"

She didn't need to say anything else. He knew how he'd hurt her, and himself. Though every movement ached, he put his hand over hers and tried to smile. Starlight seemed to shine from behind her eyes as she smiled back.

He gazed at her in awe. "What did I do?"

She stared at him. "Well, for one thing, you spent months telling me—"

"No, I mean...How do I deserve to be this happy?"

Strange words, coming from a man so bruised and beaten he couldn't do much more than lay there, on their bed, being cared for by his beautiful wife, but he meant them. He wondered if he really had made the right choice. Everything he was subjecting her to, the prejudice, the danger—was he really worth that? She had so much life left to live, and she had given it up for him.

"Honestly," she sighed, red streaks of annoyance painting themselves in her hair. "You, _Professor,_ are one of the most stupid people I've ever met when it comes to anything about yourself. Considering what your life's been like so far, I'd say you bloody well deserve it."

The ghost of a smile formed on his face. She always said that. But she had what seemed like forever to explore, to enjoy being alive, and yet she had chosen him. It was made worse with the war; they both knew of the risk. Forever was not theirs to claim.

He closed his eyes and let her fingers trace invisible paths across his battered skin. "I wish I could promise you more time."

He felt her gently press her lips to his and shift so that she was tucked against his side.

"This is enough. Whatever we get, it'll be enough."

Remus opened one eye and drank in her smile, her eyes sparkling with life. How..._how? _How was this _his _reality? Never before had he cared about time, about the way that it waned like the closing silver eye of the moon. He had been happy once, but it had felt so long; he'd forgotten what it felt like to have something to live for.

She brushed his gray-streaked hair away from his face, gently cleaning another bruise. She let her hand rest on his chest and traced the scar that cut across his jaw with her lips.

"We don't need forever," she said. "We won't have forever. Forever is our today."

Every day could last forever. Their lifetimes could last for years or for days from that moment. Time no longer mattered. He finally had a reason not only to live but to enjoy it, to find the kind of happiness in life that he had so often refused himself. He would cherish it. The world may have only promised them a flicker in time, but that moment would be their forever.

"I...love you," he said quietly. It was not a declaration, but a realization. He had always known, and yet it felt as if he never had, not fully.

"I love you," she repeated, her breath ruffling his hair and her lips brushing his temple. "Now that you're finally letting me. Maybe I can convince you that you've more than earned it."

Remus stared up at the ceiling. It was a struggle to keep his eyes open, when he felt so broken and stretched and sore that it would be bliss to let it all fade, but he couldn't let himself fall asleep. Not yet. Not while this moment lasted.

"You're so brave," he said.

"Why? I love this. I love _you_." She seemed to relish the freedom of the words, her hair pale pink in the early light of dawn. "I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Remus leaned his head against hers, and she nestled closer into his side. "I know you're in danger. We both are. It began with the Order, with the war, but now just being what I am puts a target on both of us…"

"It's like I said," she answered. "We'll enjoy the time we have. We're making a better world." She turned her head to give him a gentle kiss. "No matter how this ends, we're making changes that will last forever. We're fighting the greatest possible fight. How can I be anything but proud?"

"When did you get so smart?" Remus teased lightly, muffling a yawn.

"You're probably rubbing off on me, Professor," she said. The mischievous glint in her eye spoke to his memories, memories of carefree years that seemed to belong to another lifetime. They had been buried over the years, faded and blanketed in dust like old photographs; for a while, he hadn't wanted to remember. Remembering hurt too much, more than any physical scar left by their absence. Now, though, it was a comfort. After all, perhaps he would see them again soon.

"I would hope not too much," Remus said, grinning. "The world doesn't need another me in it...or anything close."

"You can be a bit stubborn," she conceded, but a smirk never left her face. "Another you might make you admit that you're worth something."

"_Me?_" Remus raised an eyebrow, shifting so that he could look her in the eye. "Really? _I'm _the stubborn one?"

"I'm the _best _kind of stubborn," said Tonks, her tone so ridiculously insulted that Remus had to laugh, even though it made his chest ache.

He let his fingers tangle in her soft, spiky locks of hair and pressed his lips to her forehead. "I'm just grateful for this," he said. "Having you here, no matter how long it lasts."

She put her hand over his and let her eyes fall half-closed, a sleepy smile forming on her face. "Who wants to live forever anyway?"

Silence hung in the air, only broken by the sound of their heartbeats, steady as the war raged around them.

They both knew the answer to that.


End file.
